Bukidnon’s award-winning coffee farmers get livelihood boost from One Meralco Foundation
AROUND 150 coffee farmers in Talakag, Bukidnon have received a muchneeded boost for their livelihood through One Meralco Foundation (OMF), the social development arm of Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Company (Meralco), after it energized their postharvest coffee bean processing facility using solar power.
The coffee farmers are now benefitting from the five-kilowatt solar photovoltaic (PV) system that was turned over to the Milalittra Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (MILFACO), whose members are from the Miarayon-lapok-lirongan-tinaytayan-talaandig Tribal Association, Inc. (Milalittra), one of the indigenous groups of Bukidnon.
The group is known for its award-winning coffee beans, cited as the best washed processed coffee by the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition.
The newly energized post-harvest production facility improved the Talaandig coffee farmers’ productivity by enabling them to run their pulping machine for four hours—an essential step to postharvest production. From previously pulping coffee cherries for 10 minutes per kilo manually, they can now pulp 60 kilos per hour, which is expected to result in about 43 percent increase in their income.
“With electricity, our coffee beans will be of high quality so that we can find the right buyers at a right price point. The electrification has helped us give justice to the hard work of our coffee farmers,” according to Joannah Dumaquita, General Manager of MILFACO.
Through OMF’S agriculture and livelihood electrification program, rural cooperatives, and community organizations like MILFACO are given an opportunity to improve their micro-enterprise through solar PV systems.
“Through our years of implementing community electrification programs, we have discovered and realized that many in these last-mile communities are still left wanting basic services. Lack of electricity continues to be a perennial hurdle to progress which many communities, especially in rural Philippines, deserve. Through our Agriculture and Livelihood Electrification, we have witnessed that solar power is not only a fundamental tool for productivity but also a great equalizer to enable last mile Filipinos to become productive actors of their community and country,” said OMF President Jeffrey O. Tarayao.
The installation of the solar PV system was also made possible by the generosity of Meralco employees, who donated a combined P560,000 for the energization project that benefitted MILFACO.
The project serves as an important part of OMF’S electrification for development portfolio. To date, the Foundation has energized 300 schools, four rural health centers, three water access facilities, and three agriculture and livelihood facilities. As a contribution to the universal aspiration of sustainability and inclusive growth, electrification for development aims to bring the benefits of electrification to those who need it the most.
“One Meralco Foundation’s work is an ever-evolving journey to understand the daily realities of Filipinos in need, address their gap and initiate interventions to better their situation. The community electrification program is a testament that we are ready to support them until they are able to stand on their own and become agents of change for others,” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Meralco Chairman and CEO.